Dishwashing machine



Jqly 14, 1936. H, vgs I 2,047,177

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed July 2 8 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,4 'INVENTOR I 7 $2010 6. 204a ATTORNEY July 14, 1936. H. G; DAVIS 2,047,177

DI SHWASHING MACHINE Filed July 28,1932 4 Sheets-:Sheet 2 El E H IIIIIII'I I'll VII'III II I...

INVENTOR Y BY I,

ATTORNEY July 14, 1936. H. G. DAVIS DISHWASHING MACHINE '4 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed July 28, 1932 v INVENTOR. #29010 5 24/45- ATTORNEY.

Patented July 14, 1936 UNITED sfAT s HAIENT OFFICE 2,0411% msnwasnme MACHINE Harold G. Davis, Denver, Colo. Application July 28, 1932, Serial No. 627.811

is Claims. (Ci. 141 -9) This invention relates to a dishwashing machine, and has for its principal object the provision or a neat, compact, portable dishwashing machine which will have a maximum dish capacity and which will efllciently wash and dry the dishes.

Other objects of the invention are:To so construct the washer that it will have a relatively low vertical height so that it can be used upon the usual kitchen sink drain board andyet be convenient for the placement of the dishes and so that it wilidischarge its contents directly into the sink;

To increase the dish capacity and the washing effect by employing a relatively long, rectangular tank with an eccentrically positioned impeller;

To prevent the incoming water from directly striking the dishes so as to prevent breakage from merals refer to like parts in all views of the drawtemperature expansiga;

I To provide means ior supplying a cooling draft to the driving motor, during the washing operation, and for heating and diverting this draft into the dish chamber during the drying operation to evaporate and carry off the excess moisture;

To construct the mac with a sump in which all or the solid particles from the dishes will collect and from which these solid particles can be instantly discharged and the sump flushed;

To provide a fan or blower rotor which will also serve .as a belt pulley;

To provide an emcient and automatic device for keeping the belt taut'and accommodating for wear therein;

To provide means which will prevent the operator from turning water intothe dish chamber during the drying operation so' as to avoid injury to the motor, electric connections, or heater.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efllciency.

These will become more apparent from foling's and throughout the description.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved dishwasher with the lid partially broken away. to illustrate the interior construction. i

Fig. "2 is a similarly broken away view illustratinga side elevation of the dishwashing' ma-' chine and the position oi. the dishes therein.

Fig. 8 is an end elevation thereof.

- Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the lin 4-4.118. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail section taken on the line 5-5, Fig. 8.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the combined belt 5 pulley and fan rotor.

Fig. 7 is a detail section through the sump taken on the line 1-4, Fig. 1.

.Fig. 8 is an enlarged section through the up eratlng mechanism taken on the line 8+8,- Fig. 3. 10 Fig. 9 is a diagram of the electric circuits of the machine.

Fig. 10 is a section similar to Fig. 8, illustrating an alternate arrangement of the operating parts.

Fig. 11 is a detail view illustrating the lid is clamping handle. a

For the sake of clearness, the dish racks and guards are omitted from all views except Fig. 2.

Construction The dishes are received on suitable racks 66, conveniently-arranged within a washing tank iii. The tank It is supported on/legs Hi. It is preierred, but not necessary, to have the forward legs of slightly greater height than the rear legs 25 in order to maintain the tank Iii level in the usual inclined sink board, as shown in Fig. 2.

It is desired to call attention to the fact that Y r the tank I0 is formed with rectangularly posittioned parallel side walls, and is of oblong shape. 30 The arrangement of the side walls, and the shape of the tank are very important for several reasons. The water will be reflected from the flat walls and will splash across the corners from one wall to another creatingv a maximum agitation 35 that is impossible in a round tank; the dishes will stack with less waste space in a rectangular tank than in a round one; and this particular oblong rectangular shape corresponds to the shape of the usual sink drain board upon which the machine is designed to be placed.

The tank I0 is covered by means 01' a removable lid II which. may, if desired, be provided with a plate glass top 12 to allow the operator to view the progress of the washing. A peripheral 45 I from which depend spring wire clamping loops 50 ll arranged to engage under lips i6 formed on the tank Hi. It will be noted that as the handles I are swung downwardly toward the dotted line 1 position of Fig. 2. they will act to tighten the clamping loops'll so as to clamp the lid H down- 56 wardly upon the container it until a perfect seal is obtained. Pins 32 are arranged to kick the loops i5 outward as handles are swung upward.

The bottom of the tank It is slightly hopper shaped. An impeller I1 is positioned above the lowest point of the bottom. In use the dishes are protected from the impeller by means of wire netting guard 3|. to the fact the position of the impeller is eccentric of the tank It, that is, it is positioned upon the longitudinal center line but relatively closer/ to one extremity than the othenflThis aliows the machine to be sufl iciently reduced in size to be placed upon the ordinary sink board and yet allows the larger plates to be placed directly at the side of the impeller so that they will receive the direct side throw of the water. If the impeller were centrally positioned, as is usual in dishwashing machines, the length of the tank would need to be increased in order to place plates alongside of the impeller or the capacity would be materially reduced in order to position the plates above the impeller. It also positions the tank irregularly about the impeller so that the water thrown by the impeller will strike the dishes at an infinitely great number of different angles so as to reach all irregular surfaces thereon.

From the low point of the bottom of the tank ID, a depressed channel I9 leads to what might be termed a sump tube l9, into which all of the heavy insoluble substances washed from the dishes will gravitate so as to be out of the range of action.

of the impeller I 1. The sump tube i9 is closed by means of a sump plug 20, the operation of which will be later described.

The tank is filled through a flexible hose 2|, which leads to a suitable connecter 22, by means. of which it can be attached to the sink faucet outlet. Suitable clips 23 are provided on the tank i0 forsupporting the hose 2| when not in use.

It is desired to call attention to the fact that the hose 2 discharges through an inlet nipple 24 in the sump tube l9 and that the incoming jet is directed longitudinally of the sump l9 toward the outlet. This particular-construction is important. It provides a jet of water which will wash the solid substances from the sumptube when the plug 23 is removed; when the plug 20 is in place, it provides a bafiie chamber to receive the incoming jet of water ,so that it will not be projected directly against the dishes, which might result in damage, should the water be exceedingly hot; and it prevents any water from being accidentally introduced into the tank l9 during the drying operation, for should the water he turned on while the machine isoperating as a dryer, the incoming jet of water will be projected straight through the outlet without allowing it to enter the tank I9. I

A motor chamber 25 is indented into the for,- ward extremity of the tank III. The outer face of the motor chamber is closed by means of a .motor plate 26 which is secured to the tank by means of suitable cap screws 21. The motor plate 26 supports the entire driving mechanism as well as the heating and valve structures so that all the operating parts, with the exception of the impeller l1, can be removed for inspection or repair by simply removing the cap screws 21.

A ill-shaped motor yoke '28 is secured, to the innerface of the motor plate 26 andprovides a horizontal slide support for an electric motor 29. The lower extremity of the shaft of the motor 29 is providedwith a suitable belt pulley 30 for re- It is desired to call attention ceiving a driving belt 3| for driving the impeller in'iriorbit as well as rotate. The bearing bushing 33 carries an arm 34 which terminates in a deflector vane 35 above the'impeller. The rising Jet of water from the impeller blades will strike the deflector vane so as to cause it to rotate the arm 34 and the bearing bushing 33. This causes the axis of the upper portion of the impeller to constantly swing in an orbit about the vertical so as to direct the jet of water at constantly varying angles as described in the said co-pending application. I

It is desired to call attention to the combined belt pulley and fan which is carried on the lower extremity of'the flexible shaft 32. It comprises: a

belt pulley 36 for receiving the drive belt 3| with vanes 31 projecting from both sides of the belt pulley 36 to act as a centrifugal fan..

The yoke 28 is inset in the sides of the motor which is held in place by cross bars 43 extending over the sides of the yoke so that the motor is free to slide horizontally thereon. It is constantly urged, however, toward the left so as to maintain the belt 3| at the proper tension by means of two eccentrics 38. The eccentrics 38 are mounted on the yoke 23 and provided with springs 39 which tend to rotate them forwardly so that they will bear against the cross bars 40 of the motor. Handles 4| are provided on the eccentrics so that they may be reversed to loosen the belt 3| should .it be desired to remove the latter. This particul'ooseness in the belt;

Themotor plate 26 is provided-with an outer air discharge port 42 adapted to be closed by means of an outer air valve 43. The motor chamber25 is provided with an inner air discharge port 44 closed by an inner air valve 45. The two air valves 43 and 4 5 are mounted onthe extremities of a common valve stem 46 which is guided by a valve stem guide 41 extending inwardly from the motor plate 26 and provided with a chamber for a valve spring 48. The action of the spring- 4 8 is to normally maintain the inner valve' 45 I closed, and the outer valve 43 open.

which is threaded upon a downwardly projecting stud 52 from the tank bottom. The hood 50 is provided with suitable air intake openings 53 adjacent the fan blades 31.

The sump plug 20 is carried upon the extremity of a plug arm 54. which passes through-what will be termed a cam box 55. Within thecam box J 55 the plug arm.- 54 carries a cam 55 against ,hi a sp'ringf yoke 51 is constantly urged by meansof a pair of yoke springs'58. 0n the opposite side of the cam box- 55, the plug arm 54 is provided with an operating handle 59- terminating in a hand ball .50.

When the hand ball is in the bottom position of Fig. 8, the springs 58 will be acting against the cam 55 to cause the plug arm 54 to press the sump plug 20 f inwardly to close the sump tube I9. when the ball is in the upper position, or broken line position of Fig. 8, the springs 58 will be pressing the spring yoke 51 against the cam 56 so as to cause the ball 60'to press the outer air valve 43 closed and fully open the inner air valve 45.

When the operating handle 59 is in the bottom position, it will depress an electric switch button which will act to shut oil the supply of electricity to the heating element 49. The supply of current for the motor 29 is controlled by means of a control switch 52. A typical electrical hookup is indicated inthe diagram of Fig. 9. The proper depth for the water in the tank i9 is determined by means of an overflow tube 63.

Operation machine is placed upon a sink board or other suitable support having convenient electric supply and drainage facilities. The hose connector 22 is cOnnected to the sink faucets. The

dishes are placed in the racks 65, and the operating handle 59 is swung downwardly to cause the plug .20 to close the sump tube iii. If necessary, suitable soap is placed in the machine. Hot water is then turned into the hose 2| to fill the sump tube I9 and rise in the tank l0 until'it starts to overflow through theoverflow tube 53. The water is then shut off, and the switch 82 is turnedon to start the motor. The motor will rotate the impeller l1 and direct a jet of water upwardly and outwardly in a constantly oscillating sheet through the dishes.

When the dishes are cleaned, the operatorlifts the hand ball 60 to open the sump plug 29 and allow the dirty water to discharge from the sump tube iii to the sink. He then releases the ball 69 to allow the springs 58 to close the sump .plug

29 and turns a supply of rinsing water to the machine. When the dishes are sufliciently rinsed, the ball is again lifted to discharge the rinse water through the sump tube l9.

During the washing and rinsing operations, air is drawn through the airintake openings 53 in the hood 50 by the action ,0! the fan blades 31. This air is forced upwardly through and past the motor 29 to efiectively cool the same, and is discharged through the outer air discharge port 42 to the atmosphere. The heating element 49 is not in operation at this time since the electric button 5| is depressed by the handle 59 to cut on the current supply thereto. Thus an emcient air cooling system is provided for the motor which prevents it from over-heating even during long periods of operation.

After the rinsing has been completed, the operator lifts the ball 69, allowing the cam 55 to pass the dead center position against the spring yoke 51, so that the springs 58 will act to press the ball against the outer valve 43,.closlng it, and

ment 49 will start to operate to create an inte heat'in the upper part of the motor compartment 25.

The fan blades will now operate to draw in' a current of fresh air and pass it upwardly into the 5 motor chamber, slightly compressing it vin the heated upper portion thereof in and around the heating element 49. The air will become heated to a comparatively high degree before it is released into the interior of the tank Ill through the inner air port 44. ll his hot air will be forced in and around the dishes in intimate contact therewith by the action of the impeller I! so as to quickly evaporate any remaining water thereon,

and leave them in a dry, clean, sanitary condi- 15.

tion. The humid air carrying away the moisture from the dishes discharges through the sump tube l9." .7

It is desired to call attentionrto the fact that the motor and heating elements are sealed from the tank Hi during the washing operation, but are exposed thereto during the drying operation; The machine is so arranged, however, that it is practically impossible to accidentally allow water to enter the tank, during the drying operation, which might damage the operating and heating mechanisms. First the novel position of the water nipple 24 in thesump tube l9 allows' the incoming water to discharge immediately without entering the tank; second, the sump plug must always be open before the inside valve 45 can be opened because of the co-acting action of the operating handle 59; and third, the comparatively large diameter of the sump tube I9 allows the water to discharge from the tank almost immediately so that it would be exceedingly diflicult to swing the handle 59 upwardly quickly enough to operate the inner valve 45 before the water had discharged from the tank.

If it is desired, however, to absolutely eliminate 40 this possibility, a mechanism such as below described, may be employed. It comprises a looking lever 68 having a bifurcated extremity 59 which will receive the operating handle 59 as it is swung upwardly and prevent it from contacting with the outer valve43. Then in order to close the outer valve 43 and open the inner valve 45, it is necessary for the operator to rotate a knurled, headed screw 70. The screw moves a nut ll therealong to actuate the locking lever 58 and cause its bifurcated extremity to allow the operating handle 59 to move inwardly to a contact with the outervalve 43. This mechanism thus acts to delay the opening of the inner valve until it is. certain that all of the water will have drained from' the tank I 0. It is desired to call attention to the factthat the 1ever 88 locks the operating handle 59, as shown in Fig. 5, to prevent operation thereof to close the sump valve until the screw 10 has first been rotated to simultaneously release thehandle 59 and permitthe outer valve 43 to open, andthe inner valve 45 to close.

Alternate form.

There are,of course, other arrangements possible for the air blower and heating elements which would still accomplish the essential feature of this invention-{that is, the combining in a single machine -of a washing and drying action. 7 0 One of these alternate arrangements is illustrated in Fig. 10, in which, the position and construction of the heating element and fan are changed from that previously described.

In this form the shaft of the operating motor is extended upwardly, as shown at 11, and'terminates in a fan or blower 12. The blades of the blower extend downwardly about a cylindrical 1 that of the previously described .form, that is.

during the washing operation, air is drawn through the motor by the action of the blower I2 and discharged through the outer air valve. During the drying operation, air is drawn through the motor and around the heating element 18, and is then discharged through the inner air valve. It is preferred to position a blower plate 13, provided with intake air openings 14, immediately below the blower so as to guide the incoming air toward the axis of the blower rotor into intimate contact with the heating element 18. In this form, a simple belt pulley I5 is employed in place of the combined belt pulley and fan of the previously described form.

The current of the motor is supplied through a suitable electric cord 64, suitable winding clips 65 being provided on the tank ill to receive the cord 64 when not in use. The tank is provided with suitable carrying handles 61 by means, of which it may be easily lifted to place. The noise of the motor 29 is absorbed by means of a rubber pad 68 positioned between the yoke.28 and the motor plate 26. The particular mounting of the motor also serves to reduce noise and vibration, for should there be any looseness between the motor and its yoke 28, it will be absorbed by the resilient action of the eccentrics 38 which serve to clamp the motor'and prevent rattling.

It has been found that drops of water will hang from the dishes after the washing operation which'materially increase the time necessary to dry them. It has also been found that a slight vibration will loosen these drops so that they will either fall from the dishes or spread over 3 varied, within the scope of the appended claims,

the surface thereof to facilitate the drying operation. One method of imparting this vibration is to form a weight bossfsuch as indicated at 19 on the belt pulley 36. This boss is not sufliciently heavy to cause any noticeable vibration during the washing operation, since the resistance of the water retards the speed of the pulley 36 to a considerable extent. During the drying operation, however, the speed of the pulley 36 materially increases so that the eccentric position of the boss causes it to rapidly vibrate the entire machine. Thisloosens and distributes thedrops of water and facilitates the drying operation. It will be noted that the legs M are provided with rubber cushions which serve to absorb this vibration.

The fifth leg formed by the rubber pad 5| can be used to support the forward-extremity of the machine on short drain boards on which the two for ward legs l0 would project over the sink.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent 1. A dishwashing machine" of the type having a tank and a motor driven impeller therein;

means operable by said'motonfor creating an air draft; and a valve arranged to'admit said air draft to said tank when desired; and a second valve arranged to operate-in unison with said first valve so that said air draft will be discharged to the exterior of said tank when said valves are in one position, and to the interior of said tank when said valves are in another position.

2. A dishwashing machine comprising: a tank; means for supporting dishes in said tank; a motor compartment in one extremity of said tank;

a vertically mounted motor in said motor com- 10 partment having a motor shaft extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom; an impeller in said tank; an impeller shaft extending from said impeller through the bottom of said tank; means for transmitting power from the downwardly extending portion of said motor shaft to said impeller shaft; a fan compartment above said motor compartment; a fan in said fan compartment; means for transmitting power from the upwardly extending portion of said motor 20 shaft to said fan; means for admitting air from the exterior of said machine to said motor compartment; a passage between said motor compartment and said fan compartment for transferring air from said motor compartment to said 25 fan compartment; a first opening between said fan compartment and said tank, above the water line therein; and a second opening in said fan compartment opening to the atmosphere.

3. A dishwashing machine comprising: a tank; 30 means for supporting dishes in said tank; a motor compartment in one extremity of said tank; a vertically mounted motor in said motor compartment having a motor shaft extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom; an impeller in said 35 tank; an impeller shaft extending from said impeller through the bottom of said tank; means for transmittingpower from the downwardly extending portion of said motor shaft to said impeller shaft; 9. Iamcompartment above said motor compartment; 9. fan in said fan compartment; means for transmitting powerirom the upwardly extending portion of saidmotor shaft to said fan; means for admitting air from the exterior of said machine to said motor compartment; a passage between said motor compartment and said fan compartment for transferring air from said motor compartment to said fan compartment; a first opening between said fan compartment and'said tank, above the water line therein; a second opening in said fan compartment opening to the atmosphere; and a composite valve mechanism for alternately and simultaneously opening and closing said first and second openings when desired. t

4. A dishwashing machine comprising: a dish receiving tank; an impeller mounted in the bottom of said tank; a motor chamber in the side of said tank; a motor plate closing the outer face of said motor chamber; means for carrying a mo- 60 tor on said motor plate, said motor having a higher-elevation than said impeller; and means for communicating the power of said motor to said impeller.

5. A dishwashing machine comprising: a dish 05 receiving tank; an impeller mounted in the bottom of said tank; a motor chamber in the side of said tank; a motor plate closing the face of said motor chamber; a'motor support extending inwardly from said motor plate; a motor support- 70 ed by, and arranged to move horizontally on, said motor support; a belt arranged to communicate the power of said motor to said impeller; and

carried by said plate within said chamber; and

means for communicating the power of said motor to said impeller.-

'Z. In a dishwashing machine, a dishwashing tank; a motor compartment formed in said tank above the bottom thereof; a motor mounted in said motor compartment; a fan operated by said motor to draw air into said motor compartment;

and a valve between said motor compartment and the interior of said tank so as to admit air from said compartment into saidtank when desired: and a second valve between said compartment and the. exterior of said tank, said two valves being interconnected so that when one opens the other will close.

8. In a dishwashing machine, a dishwashing tank; a motor compartment formed in said tank above the bottom. thereof a fan arranged to draw air into said motor compartment; a valve between said motor compartment and said tank so as to admit air from said compartment into said tank when desired; and a second valve positioned to control the discharge of air from said compartment to the exterior of said tank when desired.

9. In a dishwashing machine, a dish receiving tank; a motor compartment in said tank, said compartment opening atone of its sides through one wall of said tank and through the bottom thereof; a partition surrounding the remainder of said compartment and the top thereof and separating said compartment from said tank; a removable plate closing the open side of said compartment;'a motor mounted on said plate; an impeller' in said tank adjacent said partition; and means for transmitting the power of said motor to said impeller.

10. In a dishwashing machine, a dish receiving tank; a motor compartment in said tank. said compartment opening at one of its sides through.

one wall of said tank and through the bottom thereof; a partition surrounding the remainder of said compartment and the 'top thereof and separating said compartment from said tank; an outer wall closing the open side of said motor com-- partment; a valve seat in said outer wall; a valve seat in said partition; a valve for each of said seats; a connection between said valves so that as one opens the other will close; means for operating said valves; and a motor in saidcompartment arranged to drive an impeller in said tank.

11. In a dishwashing machine, a dish receiving tank; a motor compartment in said tank, said compartment opening at one of its sides through one wall of said tank andthrough the bottom thereof; a partition surrounding the remainder of said compartment and the top thereof and separa'ting said compartment from said tank; an outer wall closing the open side of said motor compartment; a valve seat'in said outer wall; a valve seat in said partition; a valve for each of said seats; 'a connection between said valves so that as one opens the other with close; means for operating said valves; a motor in said compartment arranged to drive an impeller in said tank; and a heater mounted on said motor between said valves.

.12. In a dishwasher, a tank; a'discharge conduit for draining said tank; an airheater; a valve for admitting heated air from said heater to said tank; a second valve for opening said discharge conduit; a valve operating mechanism for said valves acting to open said second valve before 5 it can open said first valve and to maintain the second valve open so long as the first valve is open.

13. A dishwashing machine having a tank; an impeller mounted on the bottom of said tank adjacent one end thereof; an indented compartment formed in the latter end of said tank, the inner wallof said compartment being positioned relatively close to said impeller; a shaft extending from said impeller through the bottom of said tank; a motor in said compartment with its shaft extending below the bottom of said tank; and a belt transmitting powerfrom said motor to said. impeller; shaft.

14. A dishwashing machine comprising: a 20', tank; an air heating compartment in one side of .said tank; a first valve'opening from said air heating compartment to said tank; a second valve opening from said compartment to the exterior of said tank; a sump tube for draining said tank; a valve for closing said sump tube;

ing compartment to said tank; a second valve opening from said compartment to the exterior of said tank; a sump tube for draining said tank; a sump valve for closing said sump tube; and means for controlling all of said valves so that said first valve will open when said second valve closes and vice versa; and so that said sump valve can not'be closed until said first valve is closed, said latter means comprising: a lever carrying said sump valve; an arm for swinging said lever to position said sump valve over said sump tube. said arm being positioned so as to contact said second valve and hold said first and second valves in the opened and closed position respectively, while said sump valve is in the open position.

16. A dishwashing' machine comprising: 'a tank; an air heating compartment in one side of saidtank; a first valve opening from said air heating compartment to said tank; a second valve opening from said compartment to the exterior of said tank; a sump tube for draining said tank; a sump valve for closing said sump tube; and means for controlling all of said valves so that said first valve will open when said second valve closes and vice versa; and so that said sump valve can not be closed until said first valve is 60 closed, said latter means comprising: a lever carrying said sump valve; an arm for swinging .said lever to position said sump valve over said sump tube, said arm being positioned so as to contact said second valve to bring said first and second valves to the opened and closed position respectively after said sump valve is opened; and

a locking device for engaging said arm to simultaneously hold said sump valve in the open position and said first and second valves in the open and closed positions, respectively.

HAROLD G. DAVIS. 

